Local officers employed a PIT maneuver to end a vehicle pursuit that saw a driver traveling the wrong way on Interstate 90, with two loaded guns later found inside the car. The chase is the latest in a string of high-speed pursuits across Cleveland's western suburbs that have repeatedly ended with officers forcing vehicles to a stop using the aggressive tactic.
Details of the pursuit, including the wrong-way driving on I-90 and the discovery of the two loaded firearms, were reported by FOX 8 News. It's the kind of outcome that has become familiar to police departments along the I-90 corridor west of Cleveland, where officers have turned to the Pursuit Intervention Technique, or PIT maneuver, several times in recent months to bring fleeing drivers to a stop.
A Pattern of PIT Maneuvers West of Cleveland
Just two weeks ago, a pursuit that began in Lakewood ended with a PIT maneuver in Westlake. According to cleveland19.com, Westlake police assisted Lakewood officers in the chase on Oct. 16 at approximately 1:45 a.m. Rocky River and Westlake units took over pursuit of a 2005 Acura as it exited the highway at Clague Road, and a Westlake officer ultimately ended the chase on Detroit Road using a PIT maneuver.
The driver, a 24-year-old North Olmsted man, was taken into custody without further incident and charged with felony failure to comply and reckless operation, the station's report states. A separate account from cleveland.com adds that the pursuit began after Lakewood officers spotted a gray sedan with a loud exhaust traveling westbound on I-90 toward Westlake, as detailed in a report by cleveland.com.
Westlake's Repeated Use of the Tactic
This was not the first time this year Westlake officers reached for the PIT maneuver. In July, Westlake police used the tactic to stop a driver on I-90 after the vehicle struck a median wall, lost a tire and nearly collided with several other motorists, per cleveland19.com's dashcam report on the incident. The driver, a 52-year-old Lagrange woman, was taken to a hospital for evaluation and was charged with driving under suspension, felony failure to comply and traffic offenses.
The department's use of the maneuver goes back further still. In September 2025, Westlake officers used a PIT maneuver twice, along with stop sticks, before finally stopping a vehicle driven by a 39-year-old Westlake woman with several outstanding warrants, cleveland19.com reported at the time. She was charged with felony fleeing, driving under suspension and several traffic violations.
Pursuits Trending Down Citywide
The repeated use of PIT maneuvers in Westlake stands against a broader backdrop of declining pursuit numbers in nearby Cleveland. Cleveland police engaged in approximately 184 vehicle pursuits through Sept. 9, down from 212 during the same period in 2025 and 219 in 2024, according to data reported by cleveland.com.
Some departments have taken a far more restrictive approach. Canton police allow pursuits only for violent felonies and engage in just one or two chases per year, the same cleveland.com report notes — a policy credited with zero pursuit-related crashes, injuries or deaths in recent years.
Under Ohio's accreditation standard for vehicular pursuits, agencies are required to train officers before using pursuit-termination tactics and intervention techniques such as PIT maneuvers, tire-deflation devices and roadblocks, according to the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services. The standard also calls for a written report and administrative review after each pursuit, along with a documented annual analysis of pursuit reports.
